Campaign calls for housing for older people

CANDIDATES running in the upcoming local elections have been urged to address the housing needs of vulnerable older people in a new campaign launched last week.

Alone, the charity that cares for older people in need, launched the nationwide campaign that is calling for boarded up homes to be made available to the elderly.

According to Sean Moynihan, the CEO of ALONE, there are 4,765 older people in need of a home and over 4,000 boarded up houses around the country.

“We are asking local Government to commit to releasing unused properties to Alone and other social housing providers, so that we can provide homes to the most vulnerable older people in our society,

? Mr Moynihan said.

“Any properties that were released to us would be renovated by Alone and then used for the re-homing of an older person in need.

“We would manage the re-homing process and provide the older person with any follow up care and support that they needed.

?

The charity feels that the Government has no clear plan or targets in place to deal with the

“inevitable

? issues created by Ireland’s aging population.

“In 2012, 12 per cent of the Irish population were aged 65 or over but by 2041 this number will rise to 22 per cent,

? Mr Moynihan claimed.

“Increasingly older people are finding themselves with nowhere to call home and this issue results from a number of factors including a lack of single person accommodation, rising rent prices and cuts to grants for essential home maintenance.

?

Mr Moynihan revealed that 25 per cent of all calls that they receive are directly related to housing.

Alone is now inviting every local Government candidate to sign their online petition and pledge their support to their housing campaign ahead of the local elections on May 23.

“We are asking that all members of the public request that their local election candidates sign the petition,

? Mr Moynihan added.

“The petition has been circulated to all parties and candidates.

?